Honor
by Sidney Lou Who
Summary: When his father decides to indulge his family in the court life of Kings Landing, Prince Robb Stark finds himself amongst all the liars and snakes that call it home. His only relief seems to come in the for Joanna, the caretaker of the King's children. AU/HEA
1. The Pain

Summary: When his father decides to indulge his family in the court life of Kings Landing, Prince Robb Stark finds himself amongst all the liars and snakes that call it home. His only relief seems to come in the for Joanna, the caretaker of the King's children. AU

* * *

 **I DO NOT OWN GAME OF THRONES**

* * *

"The pain is how you show your love for them for the first time." That's what Cersei's mother had told her all those years ago when she first asked about childbirth. "It tells everyone who would ever wish to harm them that you would go through hell to protect you child."

That's all Cersei could think about now as she clutched at her brother's stubby hand. Other than the foggy memory of her mother to give her comfort, Cersei had her younger brother, Tyrion. She could never stand the little beast- blaming them for her mother's death- but he was all she had at the moment. Jaime had been sent away to be a ward of the Tully's after their father made the discovery of Cersei's pregnancy and the man himself had no sympathy for his daughter. He had told her as such the moment she had gone into labor.

But she had Tyrion; as little as he was at only fourteen years old, she still had him. Jaime had made him promise to be there when the baby was born as he himself couldn't be.

"I don't think this is proper-" One of the only two nurses in room began as she looked to their clasped hands. Their father had wanted a few people to know about Cersei's pregnancy as possible. That was the reason he hadn't even allowed her a Maester.

"Shut it, you insufferable hag!" Cersei gritted out through her clinched teeth. The nurse looked affronted, but said nothing.

It took several hours of pain, but Cersei was finally rewarded with the sounds of her child's loud, upset cries as the pain between her legs dulled.

"It's a girl, m'lady," One of the nurses told her as the cord was cut and the babe was cleaned with a cloth- crying the entire time. Cersei's heart twisted; she had hoped for a girl. She knew that there was be a chance that her father would allow her to keep her child if it was a girl. It was a small chance, but it was still a better chance than before.

"Give her to me," Cersei ordered. Without her father there to dispute her orders, the babe was wrapped in a clean blanket and put into Cersei's arms.

"Do you have a name for her, m'lady?" The second nurse asked and Cersei barely heard the question, but she already had an answer.

"Joanna," She didn't notice the nurses leave- most likely to inform her father that she was no longer with child- but she did notice as her brother's small form began ambling towards the door. "Where are you going?"

"I thought I'd write a letter to Jaime," He told her. They could be civil for the small amount of time Cersei's bliss would allow. "I think I'll tell him about the new kitten in the kitchen. I think she'll be called Joanna." And with that, Tyrion left her alone with her child, closing the door as he left.

Unfortunately, she wasn't left alone for long.

When he father entered the room he didn't say anything, he simply stared at the bundle in Cersei's arms. She was afraid to say anything, but if there was a chance she'd be allowed to keep her child, she had to take it.

"Please," She begged weakly. "Don't take her from me." Tywin's face didn't change; not at his daughter's broken plea or even at the news that he had a granddaughter. "Please, father."

"You wed Robert Baratheon the moment he takes Kings Landing," He reminded her and her hope began to shatter. "The girl will be sent to be a ward of the Tyrell's."

"No..."

"The raven is soon to be sent to Lady Olenna," Her father said, fully ignoring her cries. "If I were you, I would not get attached." Then, with only one more fleeting look at his first grandchild, Tywin Lannister left his daughter crying over her child.


	2. What's Due

Cersei did not take her father's advice, she spent every spare moment she had with her daughter.

At the moment, young Joanna didn't do much other than sleep- however, slowly, but surely, Joanna began to grow. Months passed and Joanna's eyes turned from their bright newborn blue to bright green eyes. Cersei hadn't known when it happened; she had simply awaken one morning and looked into the basinette the sat on the other side of the room to see her daughter staring up at her with large and wide bright green eyes. Cersei had stood transfixed for almost a full minute before Joann began to cry from hunger.

The war between the North and the Targaryens continued to drag on and each day that passed without news of their defeat caused Cersei to hope a little bit more than Robert Baratheon had been killed and the North destroyed. Soon, it was the month of Joanna's name day and Cersei was sure that she would get to stay at Casterly Rock and raise her daughter.

Unfortunately, she was wrong. Cersei had known that she was wrong the moment she had looked into Joanna's basinette and hadn't seen bright green eyes staring back at her.

WIth fear coursing through her heart, Cersei had run out of her chambers and straight to her fathers where he sat at his desk, writing.

"The war is done," He said, not looking up from his paperwork- unable to see the tears falling down his daughter's face. "You will leave for Kings Landing tomorrow. Your brothers and I will be there to see you wed."

"Where-" The shudder in her voice was enough to make Tywin finally take his eyes off of his papers. "Where is she? Where's Joanna?"

"Your bastard is on a ship with her wet nurse to Highgarden." He told her. "I warned you not to get attached. These are the consequences for your own stupidity."

* * *

Tywin was annoyed.

It had been a week since he had sent his daughter off to Kings Landing and he bastard was still not gone.

According to the raven that had been sent from Highgarden, the Tyrell's were having problems with priracy; in the past two weeks, eight ships had been intercepted and robbed- their crews murdered. Tywin had no love for Cersei's bastard, but he did not want to see it dead, so he held off on sending her away. Instead, she was down in the kitchens being cared for by one of the cooks.

It wasn't that Tywin didn't love his children- he did, which was why he had to force them into being strong. Jaime had held such promise with a sword- still did, Cersei was intelligent- but not as much as she presumed she was, and Tyrion...Tywin had been prepared to write his dwarf son off as a lost cause, but he was sharp in the mind- much more so than his sister. However, it seemed that the only two of his child who could actually bring good upon their house were determined to destroy it. The babe- who was no doubt still wailing at the loss of it's mother- was proof of that. Tywin would simply have to hope that Robert Baratheon got drunk enough on his wedding night that he wouldn't notice or mind the mysterious absence of his wife's maidenhead.

"Stupid girl," He gritted out, thinking of his daughter. He had paid hundreds of gold dragons to the nurses that helped Cersei bring her abomination into the world to keep their mouths shut, but he hadn't been sure that he could trust them to say nothing and go on with their lives as if nothing had happened. He honestly couldn't say what had happened to them. He had simply told a trusted Lannister guard that he needed them gone and the next day they were no longer a problem of Tywin's. The babe, on the other hand, was another matter entirely.

* * *

 **SIX MONTHS LATER**

* * *

Despite his initial thoughts that he would be rid of his children's' abomination long ago, more and more obstacles seemed to appear out of nowhere in order to prevent him from sending away the babe; pirates, storms, sickness. Whatever Tywin felt for the babe, he didn't want it to die. It was still a Lannister despite it's disgusting heritage.

So, days passed, then weeks and soon- before he knew it- six months had gone by since he had sent Cersei away. He hadn't once seen the babe since he had it removed from Cersei's chambers, but the kitchen maids kept him updated with it's well-being.

Tywin sat in his chambers, writing letters that would need to be sent out soon when he heard it. He, however, convinced himself that he had simply been hearing things. Then he heard it again; giggling. However, it wasn't the light giggling one heard while maids gossiped or caught up on recent events, it was the manic giggling that could only come from someone as unburdened as a child.

Standing up from his table, Tywin went to the door of his chambers and stepped out, looking one way down the hall and then the other until his eyes landed on what had been making the ghastly sound.

Slapping it's hands down on the stone as it hurriedly crawled after a leisurely walking cat was Cersei's child. It let out another shriek of joy as it got closer to the cat, only for it jump out of reach at the last second. The child was not deterred though and continued crawling towards the cat as fast as she could.

It went on for a few moments; the babe would get within arms reach of the cat and put herself into a seated position only to go back to crawling after the cat once it jumped out of her vicinity. She seemed completely focused on her task and refused to take her eyes off of her prize...right up until she smacked her dirty hands onto Tywin's shoes when the cat rushed past him and into his officer, knowing that the little one would follow.

Pushing herself back onto her butt, the babe tilted her head back in order to asses Tywin properly. She didn't seem scared as the stranger stared back down at her with narrowed eyes; not even a whimper made it past her lips before she held up her chubby arms. "Absolutely not," Tywin refused, but she just continued to stare at him. "Where is your caretaker?" Then Tywin sighed. He was speaking to a babe- no older than half a year- as if it would be able to speak back and tell him what he wanted to know.

Kneeling down, he gave into the little creature and picked her up into his arms like he had done so many times with Cersei and Jaime when they had been the same age. As he checked her over for any injuries she might've sustained chasing after the cat and mentally making sure she was as she should be at her age, Tywin couldn't help but noticed how much she reminded him of her namesake; even her cloudy grey eyes had begun to resemble a dark color that his late wife had been blessed with though he could see a bit of Cersei's green in them.

"My Lord," A gasping voice sounded and Tywin looked away from the eyes of his only grandchild to see that one of the kitchen maids- one of the newer, younger ones- had finally found her missing charge. "How did she...?"

"She was chasing a cat," Tywin informed her as she neared. "And moving very quickly for one so young."

"She's always been fast," The maid tittered nervously as she took hold of the baby who immediately grabbed at her long dark hair. "The Tyrell's will have a hard time keeping track of her, I guarantee."

Tywin spoke before he could stop himself. "There's been a change of planes where the Tyrell's are concerned." The maid's eyebrows shot up. "They've informed me that they're unable to take in a ward at the moment. So, for the time being, Joanna will be staying here in Casterly Rock."

As Tywin continued to talk to the maid, giving her instructions of people he needed to see and things he wanted done by her personally, neither of them noticed the youngest Lord of Casterly Rock walk as quickly as he could back to his chambers, making as little noise as he could; he had a note to write- two, actually.

* * *

 **KINGS LANDING**

* * *

 _The kitten is staying in the kitchen_

 _\- Tyrion_

Cersei didn't even have to think about what the message even meant after she read it. She'd never forget the words Tyrion had said to her months ago when he went off to tell Jaime of his daughter. Joanna was staying at Casterly Rock; she was staying in her home and being raised in the same castle that Cersei had grown up in. She knew her father, he wouldn't treat her badly. Despite his disgust at how she had been conceived, she was still a Lannister- still his first- and, at the moment, only- grandchild. She would never be a Lannister Lady, but she would be treated well and with respect. It was all Cersei could hope for her.

"My Queen?" A muffled voice asked and Cersei whirled around in surprise, but was relieved to see that whoever had called for her was on the other side of her chamber door.

Quickly stashing the small note in the front of her dress, Cersei calmed herself. "Enter," The door opened and one of her many handmaidens entered the door. "What do you want?"

"The King has requested your presence, your majesty." She said. "It's time for the celebration and he doesn't wish for you to miss it." Cersei rolled her eyes at that. Robert was freely making the North it's own kingdom simply because of his friend- that bumbling idiot. The worst part was the Ned Stark didn't want to be a king, but Robert had insisted. To make matters worse, Eddard Stark and Jon Arryn had claimed to have reached an agreement with Dorne that would put the two- now three countries in good standing. _"Three separate kingdoms are easier to control than one,"_ Though Cersei was glad her husband was not an idiot and hated the idea of making Dorne independent as much as she did. Unfortunately, he wasn't smart enough to deny his friend and father figure.

"Tell his Grace that I'll join when I bloody well please," The maid nodded.

"I'll tell his Grace that you'll be there as soon as you're able," Cersei waved her away. At least she wasn't an idiot like the last one who had actually relayed one of Cersei's more...colorful statements to her husband.

Once the door was closed and the maid was gone, Cersei pulled the note from out of her dress and stared at the words for a few more precious moments before stowing it away with her jewelry and leaving to join the ridiculous celebration in the courtyard.

* * *

 **FOUR YEARS LATER**

* * *

"Mora," The young maid looked down to see a little girl tugging on the skirts of her dress. "I need your help! It's urgent!"

Mora gave the young girl a knowing look as she lowered herself so they were eye-to-eye. "Is it urgent like the last time you said it was urgent it and it turned out that you had run out of your favorite paint? Or perhaps like the time where you came screaming in the middle of the night because you swore you saw a lion running on the beach?"

"It's absolutely urgent this time, I swear!" The girl insisted and Mora stood up to her full height and grabbed the basket of dry sheets she had just pulled from the clothesline.

"I don't have time for your fantasies today, Joanna," Mora told her as she walked and Joanna ran after her, struggling to keep up with her little legs. "Lady Sunderland is coming today with her children and I have a lot to do today." To say that just about everyone had been surprised to hear that Lord Tywin was remarrying would be an understatement; from what Mora knew, he had loved his late wife with all of his heart and hadn't been the same since she passed after giving birth to Lord Tyrion. "Why don't you go find Patches?" She suggested despite knowing it had been months since that old cat had disappeared.

"I told you, Patches was eaten by the lion!" Joanna shouted as she tried to keep up, but Mora was ten and seven older than her and with such an age came long legs that could take her wherever she needed to go. At the moment, Joanna could barely outrun the new baby that had been born only a few months ago and he was still learning how to roll onto his front from his back. "Stop going so fast! This is of the upmost imporntace!"

"I may not know how to read, Joanna Stone," Mora stated as she started up the stairs to where Lady Saunders chambers would be. "But I know that's not how that saying goes- I've heard enough Lords saying it to Lord Tywin as they begged on their knees."

"It is the upmosts in-portance!"

"Wrong again!" Mora pointed out as she went into the large, sun-lit chambers and Joanna followed after her, panting the entire way before she dramatically collapsed on the ground. "What's the point in Lord Tywin graciously giving you a tutor if you don't even go to your lessons?"

"But they're so boooorrring!" Joanna moaned, her voice muffled by the carpet and Mora let herself take comfort in the fact that it had been beaten hard just the day before. The last thing she needed was a sick Joanna.

"I could always suggest to Lord Tywin that he replace your reading lessons with more sewing lessons with the Septa," The got an even bigger groan from Joanna.

"Sewing is stupid!" She complained as she finally pulled herself back up to her feet. "It's usless!"

"Useless," Mora corrected as she laid a clean sheet over the bed and Joanna trudged over to help her tuck the edges under. "And how do you think you got that dress?"

"It's usless to me!" Joanna claimed, completely ignoring Mora's correction. "I'm four! Lord Tywin won't even let me ride one of the small horses. Why would he let me sew a dress?"

Mora grabbed another sheet. "Why don't you go ask him? I'm sure he's a complete mess right now waiting for his future bride. Seeing you would do him a lot of good," And it would probably get her the stink eye and a demotion back to the kitchens if Lord Tywin found out she had sicced the little four year old on him, but it would be worth it for a few moments of silence.

Joanna Stone was truly a child like no other; she was beautiful, caring, charismatic, and the most darling little child you'd ever meet, but she was still a child. There were days where her rambling mouth and inquisitive nature got her into worlds of trouble, like when one of the maids son convinced her that she could find baby unicorns but only in the forest at night. Joanna hadn't even questioned it and snuck out of the castle that night. She would have been lost forever if one of the visiting knights from Highgarden hadn't caught her and returned her to the castle. Mora had been Joanna's caretaker since she was only a few months old and she knew better than anyone that Joanna would grow up to be a respectful and gentle woman- one any man would be lucky to have as a wife- or a menace to society.

"I can't!" Joanna insisted. "I need help with my present!"

"What present?" Mora threw the sheet over the bed and Joanna barely managed to grab the edge in order to pull it straight.

"For Lady Sunderland," Joanna seemed pleased that Mora had finally asked about it. "I made her gewlry for her hair-"

"-Jewelry," Mora corrected.

"And I need to go down to the beach for a shell- a golden one!" Joanna continued. "But Ser Andos won't let me through the passing because Lord Tywin says I'm not allowed to go alone anymore."

Mora gave her a look. "That's what happens when you go hunting for lions in the middle of the night."

"I need you to take me," The four year old said.

"Joanna, I have too much to do," Mora told her apologetically. "Perhaps we can go later after Lady Sunderland arrives,"

"But it won't be a welcoming present if I don't give it to her when I welcome her to Caserly Rock."

" _Casterly_ Rock," Mora corrected. "Say it wrong again and Lord Tywin will force you into more lessons with your tutor." Joanna gave her a pleading look. Four years and Mora had yet to master the art of saying "No" as she supposed every parent or guardian had to learn at some point. "How about this?" She began, "Lady Sunderland has a daughter your age. Pick one of your toys to give her and then I will gladly take you to the beach."

Joanna perked up. "Okay!" She yelled before running out of the room, leaving Mora alone to finish her task. Joanna was a generous girl, Mora knew that, but she also happened to be a complete wreck when it came to making decisions. It'd take her hours to complete her task, giving Mora plenty of time to finish her own.

/

"What about this one?" Mora asked as she held out a shell for the four year old to examine.

Thankfully for her, Mora had been correct when it came to Joanna and her toys. She didn't have much of an attachment to any of them, but the hard part for her was choosing just one toy to give to Lady Sunderland's daughter. Mora had been able to finish everything she needed to and had gone to check on her charge only to find that Joanna had given away every toy she had.

"I couldn't choose just one," Joanna insisted before going into a twenty minute explanation about how she couldn't give away her stuffed lion without her stuffed cat because they were in a "destructive, co-dependent relationship" - a term she'd heard Lord Tywin use once- and that her wooden horse had to go with them because it was determined to break them up so they could "better themselves" - something else she'd heard Lord Tywin say.

Joanna took the shell with her small hands and she grinned. It was small and mostly flat with a small crooked hole near the smaller side, but it was gold and Joanna loved it. "This is perfect! Lady Sunderland is going to look like a three-tit whore!" Mora couldn't help the loud snort that came out and immediately threw a hand over her mouth so Joanna wouldn't see her smile.

"Jo-" Mora cleared her throat and lowered her hand, certain she could keep her laughs at bay. "Joanna, where did you hear that?"

"Lord Tyrion,"

"Well, um, that's not a very nice thing to say to anyone," Mora told her and Joanna's head tilted. "Those are very bad words and you can't say them to anyone. Okay?" Joanna nodded. "Good. Lord Tywin would kill you and me both if you said that to Lady Sunderland."

"Why?" She asked.

"Because that word makes people feel very badly about themselves," Joanna shrugged.

"Lord Tyrion seemed happy when he said it," Mora shook her head as she stood and pulled Joanna up onto her hip.

"He would."

After leaving the beach, Mora took Joanna back to her chambers to take a bath and get her changed into the new dress that Lord Tywin had made for her. He wanted her to look presentable when Lady Sunderland arrived. Mora wasn't sure why he wanted Joanna of all people to meet his intended, but she could never understand her Lord's motivation when it came to how he treated Joanna. One of the the other maids had gossiped that Joanna was the lovechild of Ser Jaime and a highborn girl from Highgarden-which was why she was supposed to have been sent there after her birth- but another quickly shot those rumors down by revealing that Joanna had been found abandoned on the beach only to be found by Lady Cersei- of all people- a few weeks before she set off to Kings Landing.

After brushing out the girl's long blonde hair, Mora braided it into two braids before twisting them up into two knots on the top of her head. The dress Lord Tywin had made was a light blue color with long sleeves that covered her hands. Mora already knew she'd have to tell Joanna more than once to stop swinging and hitting people with them.

"She's here!" Mora heard and whipped her head to see Joanna standing on her empty toy chest to look out the window. Rushing over, Mora looked out to see a carriage heading straight for the castle.

"We're late," She breathed. "Joanna, let's go!" Not waiting for her to jump down, Mora grabbed her charge with one hand and her skirts with the other before running out of the room. How could she have lost track of time?

Luckily, however, Mora managed to get both her and Joanna down to where everyone was waiting. She just barely had time to deposit Joanna down next to Lord Tywin and Lord Tyrion and taking her place with the rest of the staff before the riders flanking the carriage arrived.

"Best behavior, Joanna," Tywin instructed lowly as Lady Sunderland stepped out of her carriage followed by her children. There were only two of them; the oldest was a boy with black hair and the youngest was a little girl Joanna's age with curly red hair. If anything she had been taught about family trees was correct, Joanna had to guess that the late Lord Sunderland had black hair.

After making sure that both of her children were behind her, Lady Sunderland led them over to Lord Tywin, Tyrion, and Joanna.

"Lord Tywin, I presume," Lady Sunderland gave a quick curtsy.

"Lady Sunderland,"

"May I introduce my children," She stepped aside as to not block them. "My son Liam," The black haired boy gave a decent bow. "And my youngest; Kenna." Kenna's bow was just as bad as Joanna was sure hers would be.

"My son, Tyrion," He gave a proper greeting. "And Joanna," When Lady Sunderland turned her blue eyes on Joanna, the four year old forgot all propriety and waved eagerly. "Joanna..." Realizing her mistake, she quickly dropped into a curtsy.

Lady Sunderland smiled as she looked from Joanna to Tywin. "She's just like I thought she would be. Perhaps we should go inside, Lord Tywin; we have many things to discuss."

\

When Tywin got the letter from Stormwood Isle six months ago, he hadn't believed what he had read. There was absolutely no way that anyone could know about Joanna's true parentage; he'd keel over before he disgraced the Lannister name with such a truth and his children knew better. Whoever had sent the letter had to be bluffing.

Unfortunately, a brief conversation with the Lannister guard he had entrusted to take care of the nurses who had been in Cersei's chambers during the birth. It hadn't taken Tywin a second to realize that the man was lying when he told the tale of how he had run both nurses through with his sword four years ago. It had taken him less time to get the truth out of the guard; the truth that he had let one of the women get away and she had made her way to Stormwood Isle and lived, working as a kitchen maid to the Sunderlands, under a fake name. Tywin had no idea what circumstances had caused the maid to reveal her secrets to Lady Sunderland nor did he care. The only thing he had been worried about was what Lady Sunderland wanted in return for keeping quiet. A marriage hadn't been what he was expected.

"I'm a woman grown, Lord Tywin," Lady Sunderland said when Tywin had made the month long journey to Stormwood Isle. "I have three children- the oldest of which is set to take over as Lord of Stormwood Isle soon if our liege lords don't overthrow him before it happens."

So that had been the deal, in exchange for Lady Sunderland's silence, Tywin would marry her and find good matches for her remaining children when they came of age, along with providing soldiers to keep the liege lords of Stormwood Isle at bay.

"She's beautiful," Lady Sunderland commented as they watched the children play on the sands of the beach. After seeing that Joanna had given all of her toys away to her, the youngest Sunderland- Kenna- had seen it fit to do the same. Not wanting to stay cooped up the castle after such a long ride, Liam had taken his sister- and Joanna- down to play on the beach. Nearby, Tywin could see both a Sunderland and Lannister guard watching them.

"She is,"

"She'll be five this year?" Tywin nodded as he filled two cups. He turned and passed one to her

"Correct Lady Sunderland," She smiled.

"Call me Fiona," She requested. "After all, I won't be Lady Sunderland much longer." She turned back to the window, smiling as she watched Kenna force Joanna into a game of tag. "Tell me; what do you plan to do with her when she gets older?" Tywin raised an eyebrow. "You don't expect to keep her here forever, do you?"

"I expect to give her a comfortable life," Tywin replied. "She is due that; whether that life is here or somewhere else is a detail that shall be left to her." Fiona nodded.

"What does she know about her parents?" She questioned.

"Nothing; Joanna was abandoned on the beach as a babe. One of the kitchen staff took her in."

"You love her," Tywin didn't deny it, but he didn't acknowledge the statement either. "Of course you do," Fiona looked back out of the window and watched Kenna and Joanna play. "She's light in the form of a little girl."

"She is the best of us," Tywin said. "Hopefully her...birth won't affect her as she ages." It was all Tywin could hope for; the Joanna continue to stay sane as she grew, but there was no telling what the effects of incest could have on her.

"It won't," Fiona insisted and she turned to look at him. "I'm here now and I will shape her into the best person she could possibly be."

"And if you can't?" He asked. "If she is as mad as Aerys?"

She gave him a smile. "Then I'll teach her how to hide it,"


	3. Plans

**ELEVEN YEARS LATER**

* * *

"Daven!" Joanna called as she ran after the small, naked boy. "Daven, stop!" He simply giggled and continued running down the halls.

Eleven years had come and gone since the arrival of Fiona Sunderland and her children and there were noticeable changes- the first being the young children inside the castle.

Lord Tywin was twenty years older than his lady wife, but she still managed to get children out of him- three to be exact, well, four if you counted the one who hadn't been born yet; Sebastan was the oldest of the bunch at ten and was- in Lord Tywin's own words- the image of Jaime when he had been a child; Haylise was the second child and the perfect lady at the young age of six. She had her mothers coloring of long red hair, but had inherited the sharp features most Lannister's were blessed with; Lastly was Daven, Lord Tywin's wild child. He rarely did as he was told and spent more time hiding from Joanna than anything else. He had blonde hair and delicate features that caused some to mistake him for a girl if his hair was long enough.

Lady Fiona was expecting another child within the next month which was why Joanna had been taking on more responsibilities when it came to her Lord's children. She had been named the official caregiver after Haylise had been born. Of course, Joanna had been young herself at the time, but she had nothing other than chores to do after Lady Fiona's children- and Joanna's only friends- had both left Casterly Rock; Kenna to marry a lord in Dorne and Liam to take his older brothers place as Lord of Stormwood Isle after his untimely death. With her playmates gone, Lord Tywin had decided it was time for her to grow up, something she hadn't been excited about, but she had been surprised to find that she actually liked caring for children; they had imaginations that rivaled her own and reminded her of a simpler time in her life.

She wished for that simpler time now as she chased Daven down the halls of the castle; he had taken it upon himself to look for worms outside and had dirtied himself up, resulting in the need of a bath. Unfortunately, Joanna had asked for too much when she expected the boy to come quietly; he had waited for Joanna to get his clothes off before running from the room, forcing her to give chase.

"Got you!" Just barely managing to get her arms around him, Daven giggled manically as he kicked out with his feet and flailed his arms, trying to get way. "Daveth, stop it!" She hissed. "It's just a bath!" That's when she heard the steps approaching from the hall to the right. She could recognize those steps anywhere. "Get under!" She hissed ot her charge as she put him under the skirts of her dress. He giggled as he kicked out. "Under!"

"Joanna?" Putting her hands on the skirts of her dress to keep the little boy still, Joanna looked up to see Lord Tywin approaching.

Despite the circumstances of how she came to live in Casterly Rock and her undoubtedly low-born status, Lord Tywin had been nothing but kind and generous to Joanna; he hired a tutor to make sure she learned her letters and numbers (something she personally hated as a child), had dresses made specifically for her, made sure that she be given lessons in history and that her manners wee that of a lady. Joanna had never learned why he was so generous with her, but she never asked him- whether it was in fear of what the answer would be or because she just didn't want to look a gifted horse in the mouth.

"Lord Tywin," She tried not to sound as out of breath as she was. "What are you doing here? I was under the impression that you and Lady Fiona were on your way to Pinkmaiden for a wedding." She had forgotten who was getting married, but that wasn't exactly important at the moment.

"There was a change of plans," He told her. "What are you doing out of bed? It's nearly midnight and you have lessons in the morning. Maester Lunwell will not appreciate your tardiness, should you oversleep." Tywin sighed. He had spoken to Joanna about staying up late several times and she never seemed to listen. It wasn't that she was a slow learner, she was just stubborn and thought she knew what was best- much like her grandmother. He had never had such trouble raising Cersei, Jaime, or even Tyrion.

"Where were you on your way to?" Joanna asked, trying to change the subject.

"To your chambers," She raised an eyebrow. "Lady Fiona and I would like to speak to you about something."

"Oh, um," Pushing back a lock of hair, Joanna tried not to wince as Daven stepped on and off of her feet. "I was just on my way to check on Lord Sebastan, but I will meet you both...in your chambers..." Tywin still didn't make a move. "...in a moment."

Tywin finally nodded, deciding to let her go. "You might want to put Daven to bed first," Joanna's eyebrows raised in question as she tried not to show any guilt on her face. Tywin simply looked down and Joanna followed his line of sight to see Daven's tiny feet sticking out. As if realizing they had been caught, Daven immediately ducked out from under Joanna's dress and took off down the hall, forcing her to give chase.

"Daven!" She yelled as she chased the giggling boy around the corner. Tywin shook his head as he watched them disappear; Joanna was not like other girls her age, although, considering the alternative, he considered a stubborn wild child was not the worst thing he could have ended up with.

* * *

True to her word, Joanna showed up in the chambers that Lord Tywin shared with Lady Fiona, although neither couldn't help but noticed how she was now drenched in water from head to toe. Daven had not made his bath easy.

"You wanted to see me?" Joanna asked as she tried to ignore the sounds of water dripping onto the stone floor. Lord Tywn didn't even look up from the papers he was looking over at the table. Lady Fiona had been put on bed rest by the maester, so Joanna went to her as she held out an opened letter.

"A letter arrived for you," Lady Fiona informed her as she handed it over. Joanna wasn't surprised to see that it was already opened. Lord Tywin always read any letters that went out from and came in for her. It was a horrid invasion of privacy, but it wasn't as if Joanna had anything to hide- well...much to hide.

"It's from Lord Tyrion," Joanna voiced and Lord Tywin cleared his throat.

"It may be in my son's hand, but they are the queen's words." Joanna squeezed her eyes shut as she listened to his words.

When Joanna first began learning how to write and read, Lady Fiona had suggested having her send letters. The first had been sent to Tyrion who had been away from Casterly Rock at the time and the other had been to Lady's Fiona's daughter who had been assigned the same task. After Tyrion returned to Casterly Rock, he had suggested that Joanna write a letter to the queen and Ser Jaime, informing them how much she liked their home. Tywin had been furious and that had been the first time that Joanna actually saw him that way. He had forbidden her from doing it again, but Joanna had been unable to help herself after reading the letter that Queen Cersei sent back. She had been able to keep her letters to the queen a secret for years...until the previous year. Daven had gone "exploring" in her chambers and found the letters from the queen that Joanna had hidden in a box underneath her bed. Once again, Tywin had instructed her to stop her correspondence with the queen and began reading any letters she wrote before they were sent out.

Joanna, undeterred, had simply been craftier and sneakier- employing techniques she had learned (and by learned, Joanna meant eavesdropped) from Lady Fiona. Tywin hadn't had any suspicions when one of the girls who worked in the kitchens began writing to a friend of hers in Kings Landing. He, of course, had no way of knowing the letters would go from the aforementioned friend and straight to the queen.

"Queen Cersei requests Lord Tywin's presence in Kings Landing," Lady Fiona stated as Joanna tried to think of an excuse. "As you know, King Robert has suffered an untimely death-" How a great warrior like the king was foolish enough to go out hunting while drunk, Joanna would never know. "And she requires her lord father's assistance in preparing her son to take the throne."

Joanna kept her eyes down. She supposed that playing dumb would be the best way to keep out of trouble. "Why would the queen write through Lord Tyrion to me to summon you?"

"Joanna," Lord Tywin's voice was stern. Perhaps that hadn't been the best choice. "You are a smart girl- a very smart girl. Smart enough to know when you have been caught." She sighed and raised his eyes to meet his. He didn't seem angry, simply...exasperated. "We'll be leaving for Kings Landing in a week."

Joanna's eyebrow pulled together. "You and Lady Fiona?"

"No, you and I." He corrected. "My daughter has requested I bring you along so you may take a position as caretaker of her remaining children. She seemed very certain in your capabilities as a caregiver."

Joanna's eye's widened. "You're allowing me to go?"

"Yes," Lord Tywin answered. "But there will be rules-" He didn't get to finish as Joanna had launched herself at him, throwing her arms around him in a very unladylike manner- not that Joanna had ever cared much for what others considered "ladylike".

"Oh, thank you!" She grinned before pulling back. "Thank you, Lord Tywin! I promise, I will be on my best behavior; I'll be ladylike and use my manners and I'll be nice and curteous to everyone! I won't embarrass you, I promise!" Overcome with happiness, she hugged him once more- and then Lady Joanna- before running from the chambers. Once she was gone, Tywin looked to Fiona.

"The snakes in Kings Landing are going to eat her alive," She sighed with a shake of her head.


End file.
